World of Warcraft: The Ties that Bind

by Blackdrag-rose

Argus: Turalyon's Plan

Lyra, Trixie, and Kurost walked beside Turalyon as the High Exarch made his way outside the cave that Hatuun and his fellow Broken called home, where Velen and anyone else from the Vindicaar started assisting the people that had survived for so long in this one area without the Legion finding them. That only made the Equestrians wonder how the Broken could have hidden themselves for all these years, since Sargeras and his new allies took over the planet, but since that wasn't important at the moment they didn't voice their desire to know the answer. At the same time all three of them kept their weapons at the ready, since they were still in enemy territory thanks to the demons that were running around the place, trying to either destroy the Vindicaar or deal with Hatuun's people.

"For millennia, the Army of the Light has waged war upon the Burning Legion. Battles. Skirmishes. Sabotage." Turalyon said, revealing part of what he and the other members of his army did against their enemy, which made since considering that they were trying to defeat Sargeras' forces, "We were committed to our cause. Either we would end the Legion's crusade... or they would end ours. When at last our final assault on Argus began, we knew that we might not survive it. And when the Xenedar was hit, it seemed like all hope was lost. But the Light never abandoned us. It called you, and your allies, here and gave us another chance at victory. What we do with that chance... that is up to us."

Lyra wanted to point out that she and the others didn't come because the Light had demanded that they did, or whatever was going through Turalyon's mind at the moment, but she didn't say anything as the High Exarch came to a stop some distance from the entrance of Hatuun's cave and knelt where he was standing. Directly across from where they were standing rested what appeared to be a demon camp, something that they would likely have to destroy before they could get to the Xenedar, but at the same time Trixie had them stand still as a large menacing machine walked down the path that they would have walked by. From determined that it was a guardian of sorts and that if they had moved forward it would have found them almost instantly, to which Lyra was thankful that Trixie had heard the machine walking around and stopped them before something terrible happened. At the same time, however, the three of them gathered around the High Exarch so they could hear what sort of plan he had in mind so they could get to where the Xenedar's forces were fighting for their lives.

It took a few seconds for Turalyon to speak up, which was understandable since this was likely something he hadn't planned when they started their own assault on Argus, but when he started speaking the trio listened to his words and what he wanted them to do.

"Hatuun's people have endured arduous times." Turalyon spoke up, to which he beckoned to the demonic area that was across from where they were standing, revealing that it was to be their target, "Their numbers dwindle as those ripped from beyond the walls of their sanctuary become servants to the annihilan lords in the pits just beyond, sentenced to a life of labor, torture and ultimately, death. Seek out these captives, release them from their bonds and show our allies we stand as one against the Burning Legion."

"I am sensing that there is another task to complete at the same time." Kurost said, though his tone had some joy to it, because if they were going to be freeing prisoners then there was a good chance that they would be fighting demons, which was something that he, along with Lyra, specialized in.

"Hatuun told me, before your arrival, that his village is beset by a demon called Aggonar and his cruel kin." Turalyon explained, though he seemed happy to have such eager help at the moment, especially considering the foe that they were up against this time around, "We need these fiends out of the way before we can seek out Alleria and the others. The chieftain lent us his horn. Use it to call down his people's vengeance upon the demon lieutenants while I carve a path to Aggonar's lair."

"Good." Kurost said, to which he connected the horn to his belt and grinned as he faced the pits that he, Lyra, and Trixie would be venturing into now that they had their tasks, "Let us show these demons what happens when they try to take what isn't their's to take... and show them what happens when they mess with Azeroth!"

The Equestrians nodded as they followed Kurost across the gap that was between them and where Hatuun's village was located, though once they reached the pits he and Lyra moved forward and slammed into the Eredar that happened to be guarding one of the pit's entrances. Trixie, of course, stayed back and used her spells to either assist the duo in taking out the Eredar they were fighting or fried the strange hound like demons that seemed to be prowling the entire area around them. Fortunately there were plenty of demons to kill, as there were a large number of Eredar, the hound like demons, and three Pit Lords stationed around the entire area of the pit that they had entered, though all three of them agreed on the fact that the three Pit Lords had to be the commanders that Turalyon had told them about. Another good thing was that they weren't completely alone in this venture, as a group of five heroes burst into one side of the area and started hacking into the demons as well, revealing that they didn't want Lyra and her group to have all the fun... which, in turn, allowed them to tackle the first Pit Lord, Magraloth.

Since all three of them were familiar with how a Pit Lord conducted battle, from their different experiences with this type of demon, it wasn't long before they brought the mighty Magraloth to the ground and killed him, giving them a moment to free the prisoners from their cages and letting them retreat to safety.

From there they turned to the right and continued cutting, along with blasting, a path through the demonic forces that controlled this area, freeing whatever prisoners they could along the way as the other group of heroes joined up with them, each baring a smile on their faces. Lyra knew that they were happy to be here, on Argus, where the fate of Azeroth and all the worlds in the universe would be decided, because if they, and the Army of the Light, failed in their mission to stop Sargeras then the Dark Titan would burn the universe to cinders with his army. None of them wanted to know what his next step of that plan was, once every planet in the entire universe had been destroyed, but they were determined to stop him before he even got that far... though they pushed those thoughts to the side as they engaged Xeth'tal, the second Pit Lord that commanded this area, and dealt with any additional demons that he might summon to his aid. It was easy to guess that the demon might summon others to it's aid, as a lot of the higher ranking demons did that when they felt that the heroes weren't worth their time... but that arrogance is what felled so many demons over the years.

With eight heroes attacking the Pit Lord, with sharp weapons, spells, and arrows, and accompanied by the demon's own arrogance, it wasn't long before Xeth'tal suffered the same fate as Magraloth, allowing the enlarged group a chance to free the prisoners around them, and made sure that they escaped the area with ease, before they headed up to the left side of the area and found Kar'aaz, the third and final Pit Lord, waiting for them. This time around, while the Pit Lord was distracted by the other seven heroes, Lyra teleported to a rock ledge that was above the demon and jumped onto it's back, which only distracted it further as it tried to reach for her. That allowed the heroes to strike at Kar'aaz without having to worry about the demon attacking them back, and when it did do that Lyra was ready to attack as her Twinblades bit into the Pit Lord's neck and back. Between the eight of them they were able to easily topple the Pit Lord, though once that was done the additional five heroes bid Lyra, Trixie, and Kurost farewell for now and returned to attacking the rest of the area around them, killing more demons and freeing the remaining prisoners... and likely were planning on heading out once the place had been cleared out.

The trio chuckled as they turned to the left and walked up to where Turalyon was standing, though based on what they had seen he must have taken a side path to get up here or something, but instead of questioning it they simply told him that they had completed the tasks that he had given to them... while at the same time staring at the large Pit Lord that was half submerged in a pool of fel lava.

"Now that their lords have been reduced to ash, we may strike at the heart of their power." Turalyon said, beckoning to the demonic beast that was in front of them, though the trio knew that the Pit Lord had to be powerful if he was commanding three more of his kind, "These pits have long been a blight upon the lives of our new allies. The demons hunt them down and torture the poor souls for sport. It is time to make them pay for their cruelty and restore hope to this Light-forsaken place."

As the group of four approached Aggonar, however, the large Pit Lord raised it's weapon and crushed some unfortunate Broken beneath the heavy head of the weapon, indicating that it was something they needed to avoid at all costs, though while Lyra and Kurost joined Turalyon near the front of the beast Trixie stayed near the middle of the area and started casting spells in Aggonar's direction. Everyone was smart enough to avoid the Pit Lord's attempts to smash them with his weapon and avoid the falling bits of fel lava that he threw into the air, so they could land around the ground and burn whoever they touched, while at the same time annoying Aggonar with the fact that he couldn't actually hit any of his targets. After some time Lyra knew that something was wrong, because an incredibly powerful Pit Lord, with three more of his kind acting like servants to his will, would not be so easy for four people to take out, and her suspicious were confirmed when Aggonar waved his weapon and they were all thrown into the same area together... and happened to be bound by powerful fel empowered rocks that trapped their lower bodies and their arms.

"Your people... your worlds... always crumble." Aggonar stated, to which he laughed at all of them, as if he actually believed that he was going to cut them all down and bring about the end of Azeroth, before he summoned a pack of the strange hounds that slowly matched towards the group with the intent of killing and devouring them.

Before the hounds could even reach them, however, a set of arrows flew through the air and pierced the weak points that the hounds had, killing them all in the process, though at the same time it gave Lyra, Trixie, and Kurost an opportunity to see that their savior was a high elf appeared nearby... and happened to be loosing another arrow into Aggonar's body, disrupting his connection to the spell and freeing the heroes at the same time.

"Alleria!" Turalyon said, his tone indicating that he was pleased to see her again, especially since practically everyone on Azeroth knew that the two of them had some sort of connection before they were lost, "Perfect timing, as always."

Alleria made no comment as she focused her fire on her target, which the others were already attacking at the moment, though Turalyon only wanted her to know that he was grateful for her arrival before joining in the assault as they continued attacking Aggonar... before the Pit Lord collapsed on the ground in front of them, quite dead when Lyra went to check and be sure that he wasn't playing them.

"Are you alright, Turalyon?" Alleria asked, though despite the fact that she hadn't said anything before hand she seemed happy that she had been reunited with Turalyon, to which Lyra and Trixie looked at each other for a moment as they recalled the stories that had been told about the duo in front of them.

"I am. In no small part thanks to our friend here. But Alleria... there's something else." Turalyon replied, though a smile appeared on his face, indicating that the next part was something important to the both of them, while also being something that the heroes were curious about, "When the ship from Azeroth arrived, I sensed his presence. I would know it from anywhere, even after all the years we've spent apart."

"Arator!" Alleria exclaimed, referring to one of the champions that had been brought from Azeroth, or rather one of the paladins that had accompanied his superiors to Argus, "He's here!"

"I feel like there's something I'm missing." Lyra commented, as she had no idea who Arator was, besides the fact that he was a paladin, and she had no idea what sort of connection he had to Turalyon and Alleria.

"That Pit Lord won't trouble our new allies any longer." Turalyon said, turning to face the trio of heroes for a moment, while at the same time knowing that they couldn't stay in this area any longer, otherwise more demons would come and attack them while they were distracted, "Until another takes its place, at least. If there's one thing I've learned in our endless war against the Legion, it's to savor victories as you find them. Come, let us take a moment to regroup back at your vessel. Alleria and I have been waiting a long time for a reunion with our son."

As Lyra and Trixie remained stunned by that information, as neither of them had been told that particular piece of information, Turalyon turned to an open area and used his power of the Light to summon a beacon to their position, a temporary one that they could use to get back to the Vindicaar... before ultimately recalling it back to it's resting place.

"Every day for a thousand years, I've thought about what I wanted to say to him." Alleria said, to which she frowned for a moment, revealing that while this was supposed to be a good occasion for her and Turalyon there were some emotions and doubts leftover, "Now, though... words fail me."

"I know, my love. I feel the same." Turalyon replied, where he rested a hand on Alleria's shoulder for a moment, which was followed by the high elf smiling for a few seconds before they turned towards the beacon, "But once we see our son, our hearts will speak for us."

Lyra, Trixie, and Kurost stared at what was happening in front of their eyes and simply sighed as they accessed the beacon, though they waited for a few seconds, giving Turalyon and Alleria the change to do so, before the three of them headed back to the Vindicaar. Upon arriving on the ship once more they discovered that the odd couple was already standing near the command terminal once more, apparently embracing their son for a moment, but they knew that they would be catching up after the Legion was defeated... or maybe before hand, in case they were the ones that suffered the ultimate defeat and not Sargeras.

"But... couldn't you have reached out to us?" Arator asked, though his tone sounded like he was heartbroken, meaning that he missed his parents and that he couldn't understand their decisions, "To your people? To me?"

"Arator... not a day passed that your mother and I didn't..." Turalyon said, but while it seemed like he wanted to say something he couldn't force the words out, though no one laughed at the High Exarch, as it appeared that many would do the same if they had been in his shoes.

"Every choice we made was to keep you safe." Alleria stated, though at the same time she embraced her son once more, revealing that she was happy to see him again, even if she might secretly wish it was under better circumstances that they saw each other again, "It broke our hearts to be apart from you. Come, there is something I want to tell you..."

Lyra and Trixie wondered what was so special about what Alleria had to say as they approached Turalyon, but since it appeared that it might be a family secret or something they decided that now wasn't the time to delve into their past and simply wondered what they were going to do next.

"Our absence has wounded Arator." Turalyon commented, watching his love and his son disappear for a moment while a smile appeared on his face, before he sighed and turned towards the duo as he spotted Kurost observing something that one of the vendors had for sale, "We knew it would. But we had to know that he was safe while we fought the Legion. Now that we are reunited, I will not let us be separated again."

"High Exarch, what's our next move?" Lyra asked, because while she knew that Turalyon longed for more time with his loved ones, as she longed to see Bon Bon and her parents again, her experience told her that now was the time to strike against the Legion, before they had a chance to retaliate.

"We must strike now." Turalyon replied, as he could see some understanding in both Lyra and Trixie's eyes, they had people that they longed to see again and were putting the mission before their own desires, which he had to do as well considering the situation they were in, "The Army of the Light is scattered, but not defeated. Any survivors should have stayed near the crash site of the Xenedar. If there is any hope of victory, we must rally them and rescue Xe'ra. With the Pit Lords dealt with, we should have a safer route to the Xenedar. Meet me in the Krokul Hovel as soon as you can."

It took the Equestrians a moment to realize that Krokul Hovel was Hatuun's village, where they wondered what the Broken would think of his village being called a 'hovel' by the person he had saved, before the two of them teleported down to the village with Turalyon. The basic plan was for someone, namely them, to set up the beacon near their forces so the rest of the heroes could teleport straight to the battlefield and surprise their enemies, of which there would be a score of demons waiting for them near the Xenedar. A few moments later they reappeared inside Hatuun's village and found the Broken chieftain standing near a wall with Turalyon beside him, though the light smile on his face indicated that he must have been pleased with what had happened... or, more accurately, what he and his people discovered a few minutes ago.

"My scouts found the remains of Aggonar." Hatuun stated, confirming what Lyra and Trixie were thinking about, though they kept their mouths shut as they listened to the chieftain speak, "We are in your debt, High Exarch. And yours as well, outlanders."

"The Legion will only fall if we stand together, chieftain." Turalyon said, as everyone on Azeroth had banded together in such a manner because of that very belief, and here they were, fighting on Argus for the fate of the universe, "And right now, we have friends facing grave peril."

"There is a way." Hatuun said, to which he turned towards the wall that was behind him, where he started to gather his magic for a few moments, "We will use what power we have to help you."

Hatuun channeled his powers into the wall that they were standing near, to which Turalyon, Lyra, and Trixie watched as the rubble began to disappear before their very eyes, revealing the hidden secret behind how he and his people had remained hidden since the day the Legion attacked and claimed Argus.

"A tunnel!" Turalyon exclaimed, as now it made so much more sense why Hatuun and his people lived in the areas that they had picked, while also revealing that their connection to their planet was as strong as it had been so many years ago when their leaders betrayed them, "So this is how you have survived..."

"We have hidden. We have adapted." Hatuun replied, though the smile remained on his face, indicating that he might have liked surprising his new allies with his people's secret, since they weren't going to hand it over to the Legion, "In our hour of need, this land still listens to our pleas."

"Lyra, Trixie, I know a path to the Xenedar that is unguarded by the Legion." Turalyon said, surprising the duo once more, before he started heading into the tunnel, causing the two Equestrians to follow after him before they lost him.

The trio quickly emerged on the other side of the tunnel and departed from it, where it appeared that some of Hatuun's people would be guarding it for the foreseeable future, before they headed down the walkway that was in front of them and started making their way to the gleaming golden ship that was the Xenedar. Along the way they all spotted several bodies that belonged to deceased members of the Army of the Light, though when they reached the bridge connecting their area to the one they needed to go to, however, they were stopped by a brutish Eredar blocking the path... which proceeded to stare down at them as it pointed at Turalyon.

"You're not going anywhere, 'champion'." the demon said in a mocking tone, almost as if it couldn't believe that it was this easy to find Turalyon, though at the same time the trio prepared their weapons, "The master has plans for you!"

"Not today, monster!" a voice said, to which a Draenei, whose skin was more akin to the coloration of the Light than what the other Draenei who followed Velen, who possessed blue colored skin, dropped down on the brute's head and killed it with the power of both the Light and a surprise attack, to which she smirked in the process, "The Light prevails!"

"Fareeya!" Turalyon exclaimed, recognizing who the Light-infused Draenei was, which made sense considering that they had been on the same ship the entire time, and because of the fact that neither Lyra or Trixie had seen her before this very moment, "You survived!"

"You know that I refuse to die while the Legion still stands, High Exarch." the Draenei, Fareeya, replied, though that was followed by her beckoning for Turalyon, Lyra, and Trixie to fall in behind her, as she started moving away from the fallen demon not a few seconds later, "Follow me. We've set up a perimeter."

A 'perimeter', as it turned out, was a war camp set up near the location of the Xenedar, where the Light-infused Draenei, equipped with armored machines that neither Lyra or Trixie had ever seen before and various shields in place to defend themselves, either healed their wounded or were sending out soldiers to do certain tasks. It was an impressive sight, that much the duo agreed on, and both of them could tell that by being infused with the Light these Draenei had become even stronger than the Draenei they were familiar with, especially since one of them was more than enough to take out a new type of demon that neither of them had seen before today. The duo wondered, for a moment anyway, what they could do with these Light-infused Draenei, and their machines, on their side, though something told them that they were going to find out soon.

"We've secured a foothold. Good." Turalyon said, to which he channeled his power into a Light-infused crystal and summoned a beacon nearby, one that was more permanent than the one he summoned inside the pits earlier, before he turned towards Lyra and Trixie with a smile on his face, "Now we take the fight to them!"